Full details released of Tasmania’s ‘secret deal’ with AFL

Following mounting criticism over what its opponents have slammed as a “secret deal”, Tasmania’s government has finally released the full details of its agreement with AFL.

$240 million for a football stadium in Hobart . Supplied

Funding for Tasmania’s AFL licence deal will be revisited after a 12-year period, the contract has revealed.

The contract, which provides Tasmania with a licence at the cost to the state of $12 million a year for 12 years, clearly stipulates the state will be responsible for cost overruns - and not the AFL.

A number of strict conditions are laid out, including the completion, or at least partial completion, of the stadium by certain dates - with hefty penalties if these timelines aren’t met.

If the state fails to meet its conditions - including completion of at least 50 per of the stadium by October 31, 2027 - and hasn’t had its requirements waived by the AFL, Tasmania will have to pay the club $4.5 million penalty.

From 2029, Tasmania would have to pay an additional $4.5 million penalty for each year the stadium still wasn’t ready able to host AFL games.

That is as long as the AFL continues to grant extensions, as it has absolute discretion to tear up the contract altogether.

Under the contract, the AFL will have the power to appoint a chairman, in consultation with the Tasmanian government - and will do so by November 1, 2024.

The club’s website and its public brand will be launched by November 2025.

Signed between Mr Rockliff, AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and AFL chief financial officer Travis Auld, and witnessed by Mr Rockliff’s chief of staff, Vanessa Field, the agreement clarifies at least 11 home games would be played in Tasmania each year, with at least seven at the stadium.

The contract also stipulates a new high-performance training and administration facility must be built near Hobart’s CBD by December 31, 2025.

It also sets out in detail the stadium’s specifications, including that it must have 23,000 seats and a fixed translucent roof.

It will have at least 1500 premium or corporate spaces and a full turf replacement system from a locally-accessible turf farm and will feature a minimum number of gender-neutral change rooms.

The oval’s dimensions will be 159.5m by 128.5m.

Earlier: Following mounting criticism over what its opponents have slammed as a “secret deal”, Tasmania’s government has finally released the full details of its agreement with AFL.

On Sunday, the state government released the signed deal – which they said shows once and for all that Tasmania’s AFL licence is contingent on the building of the stadium – “in line with our commitment to be open and transparent through this process”.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff and sports minister Nic Street said the details could now be released as the cooling-off period had now ended.

“The agreement clearly stipulates that a Tasmanian AFL licence is conditional on building a new stadium that is fit for purpose and will ensure a Tasmanian team is viable,” they said.

The move has come following weeks of intense political pressure on the government from Labor and the Greens, who have called for the agreement to become public before parliament resumes on Tuesday.

In the wake of defections by Liberal Bass MP Lara Alexander and Lyons MP John Tucker, Mr Rockliff had issued reassurances there would be no financial consequences should the state decide to pull out.

Labor leader Rebecca White demanded to know whether the agreement did in fact link Tasmania’s AFL licence to the stadium or “whether somebody is bluffing”.

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor demanded to know when the cooling-off period ended, adding Tasmania “still has time to walk away” from the stadium.

Mr Rockliff and Mr Street said the agreement confirmed Tasmania had a financial commitment of $60 million to help establish the team’s operation and “to construct a high-performance centre for use by the team”.

They said it also showed Tasmania must commit to operational funding of $12 million a year for 12 years.

Mr Rockliff said the agreement revealed the AFL would invest $358 million into Tasmanian football as part of the deal, including $15 million into the stadium, $10 million into the club’s training and administration, $90 million in game development, $33 million into development of young male and female talent, $210 million in distributions to the new club over the first 10 years.

The full agreement can be read here.

More to come.

Follow @ambervwilson